vitalik4eva
New member
In this thread I am going to share some ideas that helped me with some of the common troubles of reefkeeping. PLEASE NOTE: only some of these ideas are actually implemented by me, most of them are already widely used. Also, some of these are pretty basic, but since I just started on RC I want to share as much info as I can to help anyone who may be experiencing similar troubles.
1. Stabilizing pH.
This was one of the toughest things to do. Achieving a stable ph throughout the 24 hour period is in my opinion crucial for successfull reefkeeping.
Most of aquarists will use different means of calcium/alk supplementation that will alter pH in some ways. Using a calcium reactor, for instance, lowers pH as the pH of effluent is much lower than tank pH and excess CO2 makes the problem worse.
For this reason I've implemented a few strategies for stabilizing pH. Calcium reactor has to run 24/7 to ensure stable alkalinity so shutting it down for the night is an extremely bad idea. Instead, I started using Kalk reactor to raise pH that was caused by calcium reactor (common practice.)
In addition to this a few techniques improved the issue so much that my pH is stable within .01 units 24/7.
a) I ran a tube from outside into the skimmer inlet to improve the degassing of the tank (as per Reefkeeping article)
b) I ventilate the building more to improve the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance in my facility
c) This is the main technique that eliminated the residual swing. Since my tank is 54 corner drilled with overflow, I purchased two Red Sea wooden airstones (used in some older skimmers) and lowered them into the overflow. I hooked them up to an air pump and put the pump on a timer to power on 2 hours after lights go out and turn off 1 hour after the lights go on - THIS WAS VERY HELPFUL.
d) I run a refugium on reverse light cycle (lights above refugium go on when tank lights are out) also a common technique.
2. Efficient 2nd chamber for Calcium reactor.
I have found that the Via Aqua Acro-Cal calcium reactor serves as a good second chamber for main calcium reactor- a $54 item with built-in pump (I know it is a crappy reactor, but it serves well for this purpose). All you have to do is hook up the water into one of the inlets, close valve on another inlet, and use "AIR VENT" as an outlet to make sure any CO2 that may travel from main calcium reactor has the ability to escape.
3. How to stop the clogging of Polyethylene tubes:
these tubes have tendency of clogging right by the valves. For this I use the prefilter for Aqua Lifter pump that can be purchased for 3 bucks- an inexpensive in-line filter. It's extremely convenient as it can be unscrewed and cleaned, but it won't handle extreme pressures.
4. Lowering Nitrates to undetectable levels in 1 month using sulfur denitrificator: the tried and true technique for me.
Using the Via Aqua Acro-Cal reactor get feed water from the tank (preferrably from oxygen poor environment such as plenum or bottom of a built-in overflow) using either a small pump such as maxi-jet or Aqua lifter (a $20 pump) Fill the reactor with Granular Sulfur Media (made by Caribsea) and start the circulation. At first, start with a low flow of 1 drop per second, then increase the flow to 2 drops per second. Test nitrItes- they should read zero. In 2 weeks test nitrAtes- they should also read zero. This is by FAR the best technique for getting ridiculously high nitrates under control.
Hopefully this helps!
1. Stabilizing pH.
This was one of the toughest things to do. Achieving a stable ph throughout the 24 hour period is in my opinion crucial for successfull reefkeeping.
Most of aquarists will use different means of calcium/alk supplementation that will alter pH in some ways. Using a calcium reactor, for instance, lowers pH as the pH of effluent is much lower than tank pH and excess CO2 makes the problem worse.
For this reason I've implemented a few strategies for stabilizing pH. Calcium reactor has to run 24/7 to ensure stable alkalinity so shutting it down for the night is an extremely bad idea. Instead, I started using Kalk reactor to raise pH that was caused by calcium reactor (common practice.)
In addition to this a few techniques improved the issue so much that my pH is stable within .01 units 24/7.
a) I ran a tube from outside into the skimmer inlet to improve the degassing of the tank (as per Reefkeeping article)
b) I ventilate the building more to improve the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance in my facility
c) This is the main technique that eliminated the residual swing. Since my tank is 54 corner drilled with overflow, I purchased two Red Sea wooden airstones (used in some older skimmers) and lowered them into the overflow. I hooked them up to an air pump and put the pump on a timer to power on 2 hours after lights go out and turn off 1 hour after the lights go on - THIS WAS VERY HELPFUL.
d) I run a refugium on reverse light cycle (lights above refugium go on when tank lights are out) also a common technique.
2. Efficient 2nd chamber for Calcium reactor.
I have found that the Via Aqua Acro-Cal calcium reactor serves as a good second chamber for main calcium reactor- a $54 item with built-in pump (I know it is a crappy reactor, but it serves well for this purpose). All you have to do is hook up the water into one of the inlets, close valve on another inlet, and use "AIR VENT" as an outlet to make sure any CO2 that may travel from main calcium reactor has the ability to escape.
3. How to stop the clogging of Polyethylene tubes:
these tubes have tendency of clogging right by the valves. For this I use the prefilter for Aqua Lifter pump that can be purchased for 3 bucks- an inexpensive in-line filter. It's extremely convenient as it can be unscrewed and cleaned, but it won't handle extreme pressures.
4. Lowering Nitrates to undetectable levels in 1 month using sulfur denitrificator: the tried and true technique for me.
Using the Via Aqua Acro-Cal reactor get feed water from the tank (preferrably from oxygen poor environment such as plenum or bottom of a built-in overflow) using either a small pump such as maxi-jet or Aqua lifter (a $20 pump) Fill the reactor with Granular Sulfur Media (made by Caribsea) and start the circulation. At first, start with a low flow of 1 drop per second, then increase the flow to 2 drops per second. Test nitrItes- they should read zero. In 2 weeks test nitrAtes- they should also read zero. This is by FAR the best technique for getting ridiculously high nitrates under control.
Hopefully this helps!
